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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · land · leaves · wave · tube · stick · cap · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. land — ground
  8. game — wild animals
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cap — a hat
  11. land — to come down
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — from crying
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a lid
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — the underground
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tube — a container
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com